The Guru’s Fail-Proof Picks

Houston’s weekends are packed full of events, but how many of them are truly worthy of your time? PaperCity’s Weekend Guru Matthew Ramirez cuts through the clutter to give you the best options in this weekly series.

I Get Lost at the Corner StoreGirlpool, the former indie rock duo of Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad, performed an unexpected stylistic switch-up with Powerplant, their spring LP and most consistent release yet. They added drums. Powerplant finds them tuning their guitars way down and turning the band’s low-end way up — it drones and sways and sounds like a Smashing Pumpkins or Cocteau Twins record with a heavily ’90s-indebted sound, but with a flair all their own (see their slow-burn vamp “123“).

We Spent Four Seasons at the Four Seasons Twice
A unique summertime experience, the Four Seasons Hotel downtown is hosting a Summer Music Festival series once a month (the event kicked off in May). This Friday, June 16, the hotel welcomes Asli Omar, the talented singer best known for her full-time gig as frontwoman of The Tontons.

Enjoy the free performance on the third floor pool deck with complimentary valet and beers costing just $5. The poolside fun starts at 7 pm and runs until 10 pm.

JP From the Fifth Ward
The Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation is a nonprofit serving the historic 5th Ward Community – their newest venture is turning the neighborhood into a cultural arts district. This Friday kicks off their Fresh Fridays After Five Summer Music Series, brining four Fridays of concerts, from June 16, through July 7 at the iconic JAM Park, 3705 Lyons.

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Hip-hop artist Wazeer and Blaze X Black (the 2016 Houston Press band of the year) headline tonight. The festivities start at 5 pm and end at 8:30 pm. Free.

No Strings Attached
The world-renowned Stradivarius brand of violins is spoken about with hushed tones with good reason – their name has become synonymous with excellence (and the violins can fetch millions of dollars on the secondary market). Global expert on Italian musical instruments Florian Leonhard will bring a dozen rare violins and bows for his talk, “The Modern Day Sherlock Holmes – A Study in Process of Authentication,” at the University of Houston Moores School of Music.

Local students and professionals are welcome to participate in this rare opportunity. Friday at 7 pm in Dudley Recital Hall at UH Moores School, and Saturday starting at 10 am at the Moores School, room 108. Free.

Two-and-a-Half Years
An unveiling 150 years in the making, the grand re-dedication celebration of Emancipation Park in Third Ward is the culmination of more than $33 million in restoration efforts, topped with a 16,110 square-foot rec center with a baseball field, tennis and basketball courts, playgrounds, and a swimming pool. Saturday morning at 10 am kicks off the Park’s Juneteenth Celebration, as celebrants will march up Emancipation Avenue (the newly renamed Dowling Street) to Texas Southern University, followed by an afternoon celebration at the park with bands, choirs, outdoor performances, and vendors.

All day Saturday, with events through Monday (Juneteenth is June 19) at Emancipation Park.

Call Me Mr. Butterfingers
Before Mitch Hedberg, before Neil Hamburger, before Zach Galifianakis, there was Emo Phillips, the high-pitched, bowl-cut droll comedian with observational, deadpan punchlines. He’s a crafter of jokes in the vein of Jack Handey, Steven Wright, or even Jerry Seinfeld at his most pointed – it’s joke as art object, stand-up as performance art.

Plus he was the star of one of the most iconic scenes in UHF, the cult comedy directed by Weird Al Yankovic. Don’t miss out on the rare chance to see an eccentric comedy star hit one of Houston’s coolest new venues. Saturday at The Secret Group; doors open at 7 pm; tickets start at $18.